Imperial Academy Cadet Specialization

The Empire trains cadets to be effective and unquestioning soldiers. To its dismay, some of its most promising students are not willing to blindly obey. For many of the former aspiring Imperial pilots, officers, and stormtroopers who have deserted after gaining firsthand exposure to the Empire’s practices, the Empire is an undeniable evil that must be opposed.

To many individuals in these times, the Empire represents stability and order. It is responsible for having saved them from the Separatists and the traitorous Jedi Order. The Imperial military, specifically, offers opportunities to serve that body in addition to the promise of patriotic fulfillment, exploration, and power. For those who haven’t experienced the Empire’s oppression, these can be powerful motivators to join up. Many adventurous souls desiring to escape the inevitability of a life without excitement or advancement have looked to the Imperial academies as a way to venture into the wider galaxy. Depending on the academy, however, even getting accepted can be a highly competitive affair, in which only the most naturally talented candidates have a chance—unless, of course, a candidate’s family is connected.

Once a cadet is accepted, the glowing veneer of the Empire can begin to flake away. While cadets have the opportunity to gain knowledge in a variety of fields, the study of warfare is the most heavily emphasized. A select few are groomed to become pilots, but many only benefit from the combat training to become stormtroopers. During training, instructors often encourage and even reward peer sabotage in order to foster callous behavior and direct their charges’ loyalty only to the Empire. Despite this practice, unyielding cadets occasionally emerge who did not resort to such underhanded tactics and refused to be properly molded during training. When these cadets come to the attention of their instructors, however, it is not uncommon for them to suddenly vanish.

For some who remain, knowing that their life will consist of following strict orders, regardless of the harm to peaceful civilians, quenches any desire to continue. After participating in theoretical or training operations to suppress unruly citizens, it becomes impossible for such cadets to ignore these operations in practice. For those who abandon the military but don’t rebel immediately, the continued abuse they witness can be more than enough to motivate them to join the resistance movement. A few rebel cells have been known to assist disillusioned cadets in their defections. After fleeing their academy, former cadets are able to see the transgressions they may not have noticed before joining.

Imperial Academy Cadets are effective agents against the Empire because their training helps them to anticipate and exploit the Imperials’ common tactics. Any mechanical blueprint a rogue cadet has been exposed to becomes a liability to the Empire. Any glimpsed prototypes lose their element of surprise, and any protocol learned can be exploited for covert missions. To disrupt the enemy, one most know the enemy, and these cadets know the Empire all too well.